ESP E-2 Series - are these the new LTDs?

[jkdsteve]

I don't see ESP on the headstock....confused!

 

[jsp]

The old ESP Standard Series became LTD Elite, then E-II. Those are equivalent in build location and quality. Only custom shop made and USA made guitars have the ESP branding now.

 

[cardinal]

ESP really tried to muck up its branding. Yeah, the former ESP Standard guitars are relabeled EII, in what I only can assume is an effort to confuse and discourage people from buying them.

 

[faisalbaig]

the espguitars.co.jp site has the correct hierarchy....... Cutom>ESP>Navigator>E2>Edwards>LTD>Grassroots.......

the strange things is that a few days ago espguitars.co.uk site got changed!! Now its under some distributor and u cant see the euro models at all. It links to the esp US site.

I cant find the Full Thickness eclipses etc....... i really hope they haven't discontinued them!

 

[messenger]

I don't understand their logic.

 

[jsp]

The branding is a mess. They wanted to differentiate their top-end stuff, but instead what they did was bring the branding of the Standard Series, their mid-high-range stuff, down, rather than differentiating the branding of the highest end stuff up (for example, Ibanez J-Custom).

 

[timeroo]

Does anyone else find the E-II logo really ugly? :/

 

[jkdsteve]

Does anyone else find the E-II logo really ugly? :/

Completely agree, this is otherwise a pretty great guitar for the money (MIJ, nice top, ebony board, EMGs...only missing the unfinished neck) but gosh-darn that logo, WTF:

 

[fretout]

Was there a reason for this? I wouldn't want to buy any guitar with "E-II" on it.

I'm willing to bet a lot of people may feel the same way, and it will be axed pretty quick...

 

[jkdsteve]

I have one!
It's a great guitar. Same thing as my standards.

And no. I don't sit and stare at the logo. I play the guitar.

True enough...post pics!

How's it sound?

 

[timeroo]

Does anyone else find the E-II logo really ugly? :/

Completely agree, this is otherwise a pretty great guitar for the money (MIJ, nice top, ebony board, EMGs...only missing the unfinished neck) but gosh-darn that logo, WTF:

Do I sense sarcasm there? lol can't tell. I'm not saying all the guitars with the new logo suck, I just don't like the E-II logo at all.

 

[jkdsteve]

Does anyone else find the E-II logo really ugly? :/

Completely agree, this is otherwise a pretty great guitar for the money (MIJ, nice top, ebony board, EMGs...only missing the unfinished neck) but gosh-darn that logo, WTF:

Do I sense sarcasm there? lol can't tell. I'm not saying all the guitars with the new logo suck, I just don't like the E-II logo at all.

The logo sucks...it's a (formerly) ESP Standard Series right....just so I'm clear, I love the appearance/features of this...I just don't get ESPs branding here.

 

[timeroo]

For me, I would have said anything with ESP on it would be American or custom shop, LTD for everything else and then E-II would be the lowest lines. That'd be what I would have done since the logo looks cheap.

 

[jkdsteve]

For me, I would have said anything with ESP on it would be American or custom shop, LTD for everything else and then E-II would be the lowest lines. That'd be what I would have done since the logo looks cheap.

Exactly what I thought when I saw it...

 

[jsp]

For me, I would have said anything with ESP on it would be American or custom shop, LTD for everything else and then E-II would be the lowest lines. That'd be what I would have done since the logo looks cheap.

They sort of tried that with "LTD Elite", and it failed. It doesn't make sense to re-brand your standard good stuff as the highest level of your lower stuff. Not too many people are gonna pay $1700 for LTD-anything.

 

[mrderis]

 

[xzyryabx]

I feel they screwed the pooch with that one.
There was nothing wrong w/ ESP custom shop/ESP standard series/LTD for the international market
and ESP original series/Navigator/Edwards/grassroots for the Japanese Market exclusively.
But who am I to say, I studied public health and not marketing.

 

[NaturalBornBoy]

So wait, I'm confused.

Is the current E-II what was know as the ESP Standard line? Or the LTD Elite line?

 

[NaturalBornBoy]

If that headstock had ESP instead of E-II, I'd buy two of those motherfuckers!

 

[jsp]

So wait, I'm confused.

Is the current E-II what was know as the ESP Standard line? Or the LTD Elite line?

All of the above. LTD Elite became E-II. It was the standard series before that.